ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2015 MONDAY 30TH MARCH 2015 GRAEME HICK PAVILION - 19:00 Dear Member The Annual General Meeting of the Club will be held on Monday 30th March 2015 at 19:00 in THE GRAEME HICK PAVILION at the County Ground. Free car parking is available on the ground. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2015 AGENDA 1. Apologies for Absence. 2. To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 24th February 2014. 3. President’s Address. 4. To receive and approve the Annual Report on behalf of the Board and the Statement of Accounts that accompany this Notice. 5. To elect a President for the forthcoming year. Your Board recommends the election of Lord King of Lothbury KG, GBE, FBA. 6. To seek approval by the AGM for the election of Mr Stephen Taylor and Mr Martyn Price as a non-executive Additional Directors of the Board for 2014/15 as per Rule 18.5. 7. To confirm the election to the Board from 1st October 2014 of Mr Tim Jones and Mr Paul Pridgeon for three years as per rule 18.7. 8. To pass a Vote of Thanks to the Club’s Honorary Medical Officers – Prof Alan Hawley and Mr Andrew Pearse. 9. Further thanks to the Henwick Halt Medical Centre in St Johns and Mr Jamie Powell and colleagues at the Spire South Bank Hospital. 10. To receive any other business that the Chairman of the Meeting shall give permission to be raised and discussed (in accordance with rule 22.7) Yours sincerely, David Leatherdale Chief Executive 2nd March 2015 2 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2014/15 (Subject to confirmation at the AGM) CHAIRMAN Stephen Taylor VICE CHAIRMAN Timothy Curtis EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS David Leatherdale (Chief Executive) Steve Rhodes (Director of Cricket) Chris Smith (Finance Director) ELECTED NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS Tim Jones Meriel Harris Peter Jewell Neal Radford Paul Pridgeon ADDITIONAL NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Martyn Price CLUB AUDITORS Bishop Fleming 3 NOTES 1. ADMISSION TO AGM Members of the Club whose subscriptions for 2015 have been paid (and also Members whose subscriptions for 2014 have been paid) will be admitted and Members may be asked to produce their 2014 or 2015 Membership card to gain entry to this Meeting. 2. MINUTES In accordance with established custom, copies of the Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting are not being sent to Members. The Minutes are available for inspection by Members in the Club Shop at the County Ground during normal office hours, on the Club’s website at www.wccc.co.uk and also immediately prior to the Annual General Meeting. 3. FREE CAR PARKING is available on the ground. ATTENDANCES OF DIRECTORS AT BOARD MEETINGS BETWEEN OCTOBER 2013 AND SEPTEMBER 2014 POSSIBLE ACTUAL J M Price (Chairman) 9 6 D M Broughall (Vice Chairman) 9 9 T S Curtis 9 6 Ms M Harris 9 9 P A E Jewell 9 9 P C Radburn 9 9 N Radford 9 9 S Taylor (Additional Director) 9 7 D A Leatherdale (Chief Executive) 9 9 S J Rhodes (Director of Cricket) 9 9 C Smith (Finance Director) 9 9 J W Elliott (President) (ex officio) 9 6 4 OFFICERS OF THE WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2013/14 PATRONS: Viscount Cobham His Grace the Duke of Westminster OBE, TD, DL The Rt Rev’d John Inge, Bishop of Worcester The Very Rev’d Peter Atkinson, Dean of Worcester Mr Cecil Duckworth OBE Lord King of Lothbury, KG, GBE, FBA PRESIDENT: John Elliott CHAIRMAN: Martyn Price VICE CHAIRMAN: Dave Broughall CHIEF EXECUTIVE: David Leatherdale DIRECTOR OF CRICKET: Steven Rhodes CAPTAIN: Daryl Mitchell FINANCE DIRECTOR: Chris Smith HONORARY VICE PRESIDENTS: Roy Booth John Chadd John Elliott David Exall Duncan Fearnley Mike Gilhooly Tom Graveney OBE Ken Mills MBE Mrs Pat Mills Jack Randall Peter Seward FCA Doug Slade Norman Whiting Vic Whittingham HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS: Mrs Grace Fuller, Norman Gifford MBE, Graeme Hick MBE, Phil Neale OBE, Rev’d Michael Vockins OBE 5 ANNUAL REPORT – 2014 SEASON CHIEF EXECUTIVE INTRODUCTION Firstly, can I again thank our members and supporters for their unstinting support during the 2014 season and I look forward to the same in 2015, the Club’s 150th anniversary year. The 2014 season was a season of mixed emotions both on and off the pitch. There were a number of individual highlights, none more so than Captain Daryl Mitchel again leading from the front to be the 2nd highest run scorer in the country in LVCC cricket along with the performance of Jack Shantry in the win against Surrey, which ultimately sealed promotion back to Division 1. Add to this the emergence of a numbered of our young talented players including Charlie Morris, in his first full season with the club, matching Alan Richardson’s recent exploits with the ball and Tom Kohler-Cadmore progressing from the growing Scholarship programme at Malvern college to his first class debut were just a few of the many highlights 2014 brought us. Reaching the T20 Quarter finals for the 2nd time in 3 years thanks to some quality performances from both overseas players and home grown talent alike will hopefully mean a first visit to T20 finals day is not far away. On a more sombre note, the reaction to the sad death of Academy Director, Damian D’Oliveira, in the summer and the more recent freak death of Phil Hughes shortly before Christmas, brought home the depth of feeling and the close knit family atmosphere that exists within the Club. Both their memories will live long into the Club’s future not least in the number of players progressing through the Clubs Academy, now and in the future, developed under Damian’s stewardship. Long may this continue? The new facilities, which are now some 15+ months old, after a late introduction as detailed in last year’s report, are starting to bear the fruits that we had hoped and have broadened the Club’s base with regards revenue generation and put the Club firmly at the centre of the local sporting and business community. It is hoped over time this growth area will allow further investment in the club across all areas, not least cricket, in order to compete at the highest level possible and make sure the Club is alive and kicking in another 150 years’ time. INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION Moeen Ali had a year to remember after making his senior breakthrough with England and establishing himself in all formats of the game at international level. The 27-year-old scored his maiden Test century against Sri Lanka at Headingley and came within one ball of saving an apparent lost cause on the final day. Moeen also picked up 19 wickets with his off spin in the 3-1 Test series win over India including a superb return of 6-63 in the victory at the Ageas Bowl as he filled the considerable breach left by Graeme Swann's retirement from all cricket. It led to him becoming the first Worcestershire player since Graeme Hick in 2000 to be awarded a central contract by the ECB. 6 Moeen's first ODI hundred was registered against Sri Lanka in Colombo during the winter after he was promoted to open the innings - a role he has occupied for Worcestershire and at the start of his England career in the West Indies. Moeen was then included in England's squad for the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. All-rounder Ed Barnard and wicket-keeper Joe Clarke were part of England Under-19’s World Cup squad in the United Arab Emirates and played a full part in helping their side reach the semi-finals before losing to Pakistan. England defeated Australia in the third place play-off. The duo were also part of the drawn home two match Test series with South Africa and also the 5-0 ODI whitewash of the Proteas. SEASON REVIEW Worcestershire defied the pre-season odds of the bookmakers to gain a fourth promotion under the charge of Director of Cricket, Steve Rhodes. The county were made rank outsiders at 33-1 to return to the top flight but played superb cricket during the first three quarters of the campaign to establish a 43 and 45 points lead over Surrey and Hampshire respectively after the win over Gloucestershire at Cheltenham in mid-July. At that stage the bookmakers had revised their odds so dramatically that Worcestershire were 20-1-on to be promoted. An end of season blip, with defeats against Gloucestershire at New Road and Derbyshire at Derby, meant the final outcome was a closer affair than had seemed likely before the break for Royal London One-Day Cup cricket. It needed a performance reminiscent of Ian Botham's 1981 Ashes performances from Jack Shantry to lift Worcestershire over the finishing line via victory against visiting Surrey and rescue a lost looking cause. He made cricketing history by becoming the first player batting at number nine or lower to score a century and take ten wickets in the same match in first class cricket. The scenes of joy and celebration went on long into the evening although defeat at Chelmsford in the final game meant Hampshire went up as champions. But no one could deny Worcestershire were worthy of their place in the top division in their 150th Anniversary Year with eight victories achieved in their 16 matches. And, although no-one can control the weather, it is also fair to say that Worcestershire were in strong positions in several other games to record wins, notably Hampshire twice, Surrey away, Glamorgan away and Kent away had the elements not intervened for lengthy spells.